A. Field
This invention generally relates to armrests having cup holders.
B. Description of the Related Art
Pivotable vehicle seat armrests are known in the art, wherein the armrest can be pivoted between stowed and deployed configurations. Furthermore, it is known to use locking mechanisms in connection with pivotable armrests to lock the armrest in a deployed configuration until manually released by a user. Cup holders are also known in the art in connection with armrests. However, state of the art armrests equipped with cup holders have certain drawbacks. For example, such armrests allow the user to raise the armrest while an object remains in the cup holder. This can cause problems if, for instance, a drink or other object is in the cup holder.
Some embodiments of the present invention provide lockable pivoting armrests that prevent a user from stowing the armrest while it contains an object such as a cup.